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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24952996">The Perils of Being an Inside Woman</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xfphile/pseuds/xfphile'>xfphile</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Growth, Gap Filler, Gen, Slice of Life, Some Humor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:16:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,826</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24952996</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xfphile/pseuds/xfphile</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A conversation that (should have) happened between Jack Robinson and Dorothy Williams.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jack Robinson &amp; Dorothy "Dot" Williams, Jack Robinson/Phryne Fisher (mentioned)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>97</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Perils of Being an Inside Woman</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Right. I don't know what's going on with my brain, but this one sentence would NOT leave me alone, and so this little ficlet was born to contain it. Timeline-wise, it slots in between episodes 1 (Murder Most Scandalous) &amp; 2 (Death Comes Knocking) of series 2, with spoilers from Episode 10 of series 1 (Death by Miss Adventure). Many thanks to ALessLethalDress for the quick beta and I hope you guys enjoy this little slice of 'what-if' life.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong> <em> <span class="u">The Perils of Being an Inside Woman</span> </em> </strong>
</p><p>It was late.</p><p>Dorothy ‘Dot’ Williams swallowed hard and took yet another nervous look around the front of City South police station, reassuring herself that Hugh hadn’t decided to stay after she’d turned down seeing him tonight. Having learned well from the incident with the church fête, she did not tell him she was feeling ill. No, this time, she’d insinuated that she and Miss Fisher would be out doing . . . something (she’d long ago learned to be vague; it was simply better for everyone’s peace of mind).</p><p>In retrospect, that hadn’t been the best excuse either; she was lucky he hadn’t told Inspector Robinson (and equally lucky that it was a quiet night, so he’d felt it was acceptable to head home. She made a mental note to have a suitably vague answer for him in the morning when he asked the inevitable question.). The inspector would have promptly gone after Miss Fisher (who was out with Doctor MacMillan, so far as Dot knew), and since he was the man she’d come to see, that would have been awkward.</p><p>Well, more awkward. She was not looking forward to this, but it needed to be done. So, with a quick prayer and one final look around, she knocked softly on Inspector Robinson’s office door.</p><p>“Come in,” he called, curiosity clearly evident in his voice. She obeyed and took a step through the door, but paused as, once again, she found herself questioning the wisdom of this.</p><p>“Miss Williams?” he said in surprise, rising from his chair. “What bri—is Miss Fisher alright?” he interrupted himself mid-sentence, eyes filling with concern and what looked a lot like hope. Or possibly excitement; it was difficult to tell with him.</p><p>Despite herself, Dot was amused. Miss Fisher and Inspector Robinson were so clearly mad about each other, at least to everyone but them, that watching them fumble around those feelings was rather like watching a newborn calf learn to walk: staggering, stumbling steps where they went any- and everywhere but a straight line to where they wanted to be. And with a great deal of falling over.</p><p>“She’s perfectly fine, just out with Doctor MacMillan,” she assured him, managing to keep her lips from twitching into a smile, though it took considerable effort, especially when his expression changed from ‘hopeful excitement’ to ‘disappointed.’</p><p>Not for the first time, it occurred to Dot that they were, quite simply, adorable.</p><p>But that wasn’t why she was here (although with her luck, at some point she would be; she had yet to meet more willfully oblivious people than her employer and the inspector, at least when it came to their own feelings), so she firmly pushed her amusement aside and seated herself in the left side chair at his desk. His eyebrows rising, the inspector slowly sank back down in his own chair, his eyes never leaving hers.</p><p>“Then . . . what can I do for you, Miss Williams?” he asked softly, his gaze intense. “Are <em>you</em> alright?”</p><p>“Of course,” she hastened to assure him, smiling internally at how sweet the man was. She would never let on, though; he’d be absolutely <em>appalled</em> at the thought. “I just . . . I need to speak to you. About —”</p><p>And here her nerves took over. She really didn’t want to have this conversation. Unfortunately for her, Jack Robinson was known as the best cop in Melbourne for a reason, so he easily finished her sentence.</p><p>“About Hugh,” he rumbled, suddenly looking — pained?</p><p>Why would he—</p><p>Oh! Well, of course he’d think she was seeking advice or help about their personal relationship. Thank God that wasn’t why she was here, because Dot was fairly sure she (both of them, actually) would prefer to expire from the sheer embarrassment than have that conversation.</p><p>The reminder helped settle her nerves and she nodded.</p><p>“Yes, Inspector. About Hugh.”</p><p>He swallowed and nodded, wordlessly gesturing her to continue.</p><p>“I — he — oh, how does Miss Fisher make this look so easy?” she muttered to herself in irritation; despite having this conversation in her head a dozen times, nothing was coming out the way she wanted it to now. Miss Fisher never had this trouble!</p><p>The inspector laughed softly and she looked up, relaxing further at the soft humor on his face.</p><p>“She does, doesn’t she?” he agreed with a grin. Their amusement faded quickly, though, and he gently cleared his throat.</p><p>“So,” he started slowly. “About Hugh?”</p><p>Dot licked her lips, trying to decide how best to continue, when her brain suddenly took over and caused her to blurt out, “You need to speak to him about his actions when I do something he doesn’t like!”</p><p>Dead silence rang around the small room, as the inspector opened and closed his mouth a few times, clearly stunned.</p><p>And Dot, after replaying her words, winced and rushed to clarify.</p><p>“I mean — do you remember when I went undercover at the Gaskins’ factory?” she asked, getting a slow nod in answer. “And how you had to prod him to take my statement?” Another nod. “Right. Well, before you left, he called me by my real name — with several of the other women <em>in the room — </em>and informed me that it was dangerous and I shouldn’t be there.”</p><p>She stopped for a moment, a little surprised at how upset she still was about that. Not his feelings, no, those made perfect sense . . . but <em>he</em> was the one who had nearly endangered her. Then he did it again not even two days later! And again a few days ago! <em>That</em> was why she was here, to ask for the inspector’s help, because Hugh clearly wasn’t going to listen to her. Not when it came to his protective instincts.</p><p>Oblivious to her inner thoughts, Inspector Robinson nodded a third time, looking thoughtful, before he said, “I remember. What about it?”</p><p>“Other than nearly breaking my cover?” she shot back tartly, before blushing so hard she felt her entire body flame red and stumbling through an apology.</p><p>“I am so sorry, Inspector, I d—”</p><p>He cut her off with a wave and a firm, “It’s alright, Miss Williams. I understand and had the same thought; I didn’t address it at the time because other things happened too quickly, and I’ll be honest, it slipped my mind after.”</p><p>“Right,” she replied, nonplussed, having not been aware that he’d seen Hugh’s little . . . whatever it had been. “Well, unfortunately, he keeps doing it.”</p><p>“Really?” the inspector said, sounding surprised.</p><p>“I’m afraid so,” she confirmed. “He did it again a couple of days later, and I had to make up a story about him trying to ask me to step out because Hetty got suspicious about the way he was acting.”</p><p>His eyes narrowed and he abruptly sat up straight, his expression darkening.</p><p>“I’m sorry, he did what?” he asked, his voice tight with what sounded like anger.</p><p>“He was rooting around in the trash bins when I came out to throw away the tea trash,” she replied, twisting her hands in her lap and looking away from that intense gaze. “And he called me by my real name again and told me it was dangerous and that I needed to leave, that he didn’t like it. I told him again what my cover name was and that I was staying, but he wouldn’t stop and I finally had to just leave and yell something about the incinerator so people wouldn’t get suspicious!”</p><p>Her voice had gotten steadily louder as she spoke and she would have flushed from embarrassment again, except that Inspector Robinson was actually scowling, though it clearly wasn’t at her. And she couldn’t believe how relieved she suddenly felt.</p><p>“I was not aware of that,” he told her, his eyes flashing with displeasure. “Has — has it happened again?” he inquired, making a conscious effort to soften his voice.</p><p>Her eyes dropped to his desk and she twisted her scarf between her fingers, hearing him let out a resigned sigh.</p><p>“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” he said, his voice so gentle she couldn’t help but look up at him. “Go on,” he urged her, pulling out a notebook and pen. “Tell me.”</p><p>Haltingly, she explained his actions several days prior, when Miss Fisher had gone undercover at the Imperial Club and Dot had brought her costume.</p><p>“And he started with my name,” she concluded, “so it was obvious that he knew me. And since the doorman didn’t know that Miss Phryne was undercover, that could have caused —”</p><p>“— a serious problem,” he finished for her, anger radiating from him now.</p><p>She swallowed and nodded, looking down again. She didn’t want to get Hugh in trouble, truly, but she didn’t know what else to do. If he didn’t stop this, she <em>would</em> get hurt one day. Or Miss Phryne would.</p><p>“Have there been any other times?” he asked, his pen scratching softly across paper.</p><p>“No,” she replied, managing to meet his eyes. “But . . . but I know it will, and he — well — I—”</p><p>He took pity on her and gently interrupted, laying his pen down with a decisive <em>click</em>.</p><p>“Quite right,” he said, nodding decisively. “And I <em>will</em> speak to him about this first thing tomorrow.”</p><p>It went without saying that he wouldn’t mention her part in it, and she was both grateful for and resentful about it: she had nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about, after all, but his male pride would be bruised if he knew what she had done, and she really didn’t want to deal with that.</p><p>Also not for the first time, Dot found that she understood more and more why Miss Fisher had gone to such great lengths to secure her independence. As much as it frightened her, the freedom it represented was tantalizing and Dot was starting to hunger for it.</p><p>But this was neither the time nor the place for those thoughts, so she nodded to Inspector Robinson and rose from the chair to leave. She’d said what she needed to; it remained to be seen if it would do any good.</p><p>“May I escort you home?” he offered, standing with her.</p><p>She found a smile for him and shook her head.</p><p>“No, but thank you,” she replied. “Cec is waiting outside for me now.”</p><p>He nodded in approval and stepped around the desk, opening his door and walking her to the cab.</p><p>“Goodnight, Miss Williams,” he said before handing her into the backseat. “And thank you,” he added, his eyes reflecting his genuine appreciation.</p><p>“Thank <em>you</em>, Inspector,” she replied, giving him a soft smile as he shut the cab door and sighing softly. Cec wisely asked no questions and she closed her eyes, hoping desperately that this had been the right thing to do, as they headed home.</p><p>No, it had been. Now she just had to have faith in Inspector Robinson.</p><p>And that wouldn’t be a problem.</p><p>~~~<br/><em>fin</em></p>
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